- Thanks in large part to Boddika, hardware-heavy electro that worships equally at the altars of Drexciya and Stingray is in fashion these days. One artist who's been at it for a whole lot longer is Seattle's Chris Roman, who produces a similar brand of electro under the name 214. The electro on his first EP for Glaswegian label Fortified Audio, however, is one that has a whole lot more in common with modern bass music than retro fetishes.
Chances are, when you first hear "Here We Stand," the way that the bassline seems to shudder and contort is bound to remind you of Boddika, but listen closer and there's something completely different going on. Roman's setup is full-blooded, and aside from the chirpy vocal samples he loads his tracks up with bright solar eclipse synths that inhale and exhale effortlessly. Think Instra:mental with a healthy dose of early Night Slugs and you're on the right track, a device repeated on "First Chair" which seems to hesitantly dip its toes in and out of swirling whirlpools of iridescent synth.
The other two tracks show an almost neurotic level of detail that would be dizzying if they weren't so goddamn catchy. "Ridin Wit Yo Plastic Spokes" sounds like Roman has about ten different drum machines in front of him, recklessly picking out sounds at random, while "Antarctica" uses that same bevy of pokey percussion to dot a landscape of breathtaking synth drone that sounds borrowed from a Stars of the Lid release.
Tracklist A1 Here We Stand
A2 Riding With Your Plastic Spokes
B1 Antarctica
B2 First Chair